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Re: Favorite Drama

I'm still unsure if Steins;Gate can even be called a drama =/ The focus basically is elsewhere, more on the thriller/mystery and sci-fi side, drama is like a sub-aspect of the show. Definitely voting for AnoHana, which is excellent and pure drama all along.

Re: Favorite Drama

If I had been paying more attention I might have disqualified Steins;Gate for this genre. I didn't notice until after nominations ended. It is primarily a science fiction anime. It has more than it's fair share of drama, but calling it a drama anime is a stretch. The same thing happened in 2010, when Eva won. At least we got the category right last year. Too late now, and I am not going to try talking anyone out of their vote. If an anime has to win in a slightly inappropriate genre, at least it's a good one.

Re: Favorite Drama

I'm still unsure if Steins;Gate can even be called a drama =/ The focus basically is elsewhere, more on the thriller/mystery and sci-fi side, drama is like a sub-aspect of the show. Definitely voting for AnoHana, which is excellent and pure drama all along.

If I had been paying more attention I might have disqualified Steins;Gate for this genre. I didn't notice until after nominations ended. It is primarily a science fiction anime. It has more than it's fair share of drama, but calling it a drama anime is a stretch. The same thing happened in 2010, when Eva won. At least we got the category right last year. Too late now, and I am not going to try talking anyone out of their vote. If an anime has to win in a slightly inappropriate genre, at least it's a good one.

I don't think it's a stretch at all, and that the 'drama' part of the show is as dominant as the other big labels that come with it. The top reason I love the protagonist so dearly (and hence the anime) is because of Okabe's struggle to bring Mayuri back from the route of certain death. This is also the reason why, although I do agree at face-value she is not as deep as a character could have been, Mayuri is the cause of Okabe's desperate actions, that which reveals the admirable qualities of this character. By putting aside the sciences and mysteries, I think the interactions between people do stand to be the message of the series, and everything revolves around such. We have:

Okabe's fury towards Moeka (as well as his implicit desire to keep Moeka alive despite all else) and, later, his forgiveness in the form of acceptance by giving her the badge;

The struggle of Suzuha in her recovery mission (and later failure) as well as her 'reunion' with her father;

The struggle of Faris with the loss of her father, also in the apparent decision between her father's life and Mayuri's;

The often-overlooked struggle of Ruka's feelings towards Okabe;

The hidden struggle of Mr Braun that is heavily implied but not elaborated; and

The struggle of Okabe and disheartening failures in attempting to save Mayuri (and also Makise.)

The mystery and science elements are more like devices to set up for, develop, and elaborate the emotions, feelings, and actions of the characters at hand. These are the main events that take precedence in the drama side of the show, and it goes without saying, these struggles are the motivation for which the characters base their 'wish' upon (and ironically causing the death of Mayuri,) and it is exactly these wishes that set Okabe on a path in search for a solution, presenting the story as we see it. As the show proceeds towards the end, we see resolutions to not only the inner conflicts each one of them has, but also resolutions in the relationship between them and Okabe.

tl;dr
Strip the show of the sciences, we see struggles of characters in their relationship with other characters, their desires due to those struggles and unwittingly affect other characters, and their journey in finding resolutions to those struggles as well as to the characters whom they've come across on their journey.

Re: Favorite Drama

It is true that there is plenty of drama in S;G, but the same can be said of any number of anime. Almost any space opera, or post-Gundam mecha, could be considered drama. Science fiction is still the primary genre, and Steins;Gate could also win that category. Allowing it to proceed blocked a few series that could only be nominated for the drama category. Ano Hana, Tokyo Magnitude, and Angel Beats had the most nominations in this category (S;G won the tiebreaker for fifth). All three are primarily drama, nominating them for any other category would have been a stretch. They all could potentially be blocked from winning any genre awards, while S;G wins two different genre categories, despite sci-fi being the primary genre. It's too late now. Steins;Gate was allowed, a win would be welcomed. Had I noticed I would have disqualified nominations during the first round.

Re: Favorite Drama

And I completely dropped the ball on this one as well since I initially classified S;G as a drama, though I do see Kait's point. I think when it comes to "Favorite [insert genre here]" categories, in the future we should take a closer look at what genre these series encompass best. I'm not saying it's unfair that S;G is in the running and could potentially win both "Favorite Sci-Fi" and "Favorite Drama" awards, but I agree that putting S;G in multiple categories (when it is more Sci-Fi) like this block contenders that could have moved on and could only fit a specific category.

But what's done is done. But I still think we should look at things more closely for next year in case we run into a situation like this.